The Shinigami And Her Hollow
by Insanity-Plus
Summary: They were of two different worlds, yet they loved each other all the same. IchiRuki, slight pieces of HichiRuki. R&R!


**This is sort of random, I know, but I HAD to do this. **

**This is actually a short story I wrote for my girlfriend a few months back, and when I came back to it I decided to edit for an IchiRuki fanfic! Thought that the plot could work with IchiRuki as well! (Note: The original title of this short story is "The Angel And Her Wolf"...kind of just something between me and her seeing as she has a thing for Angels and I for Werewolves.)**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of the characters associated with the Anime/Manga. They belong to Tite Kubo and Shonen Jump Magazine. Please support the official release.**

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><p>Their relationship wasn't easy. By no way shape or form were they the picture perfect couple.<p>

Though that was to be expected, seeing as they were not alike. They were of two different worlds; born and raised on a culture only their own kind accepted, while the other frowned upon. One was created in heaven, within a cloud of bliss and tranquility, while the other was born on earth in the dirt of desire and instinct. Their bodies were made of different particles, but their hearts were made the same. Despite the distance between one another: They were in love.

One was a Shinigami; a bringer of eternal rest and whisperer of the beyond. She was dutiful, loyal, and strong. She danced with grace, her weapon a blade made of a velvety white that shimmered in the light like a falling drop of snow. Her ribbon moved about her as she would swing such a blade, preforming her job as a Death God. She reaped the souls of the dead, be they good or bad. She carried their souls to the afterlife, as a Grim Reaper sort of career. She hated such a job, for it entailed dealing with the miserable living who mourned themselves obsessively. She listened to their aches and groans as she passed them along, all the while keeping an impassive face as to not disrupt their spiritual energies. Their souls were always the same, and she hated doing the same thing over and over. So she despised her job as an Shinigami, and defied the laws of her brethren the day she met _him_.

The other was something the Shinigami called a Hollow; once a human being but cursed with a tragic affliction done to those who could not pass on correctly. He was the embodiment of torture and misery, laying deflated in the woods, naked and covered in the blood of the innocent. He wasn't a murderer, but when night fell and the moon was bright he had no control over his own actions. He scoured the plane, in search of a cure and the piece he was missing to true happiness. He did not gain this like many others, but was cursed by another with the same affliction and as such maintains a human form during the day, just adding to his torment. He roamed the forest at night in fear, praying to God that he did not come across yet another innocent in such a ghastly form. But all that changed, when he met _her._

His first impression of her was that she was an Angel. Beautiful and graceful, she came down from the skies as if appearing from thin air, her blade was sheathed on her hip, the hilt dangling as she touched ground and walked towards the man. He was captivated by her beauty, her raven hair and violet eyes that shone in the light like purple suns. She was dressed in black robes, a white sash around her waist, her skin fair and her body lithe yet powerful. As she came closer he could feel the strength she exuded. In her presence, he felt unworthy, and as such lowered his head in shame at what she saw in front of her.

She had come for the soul of a man the Hollow had killed. She flew down, her hand clutching the hilt of her blade tightly, and caught sight of the shamed man laying naked in the dirt. Her first impression was that he was a weak man, bent over in fragility. He would be another she'd reap one day, and thought nothing much else of him until they locked gazes. In that moment she saw the real _him_. He was not weak, but beaten by a stronger force, with spiky orange hair and smoldering amber eyes. His body was covered with filth, but she did not think him an ape man relishing the feel of mud like she would have before. No, she saw the tortured man he was. Saw the pain of his curse snaking around his body and constricting him so hard he bled.

She knew what he was, and knew what she should have done to one such as he. Code dictates that Shinigami must eradicate the wicked from the earth to save the lives of others, be they truly evil themselves or controlled by an evil energy. She knew her job was to kill him right then and there, but for some odd reason she couldn't. He was pitiful, wrecked by terrible shivers as he was assaulted by both the weather and the guilt of having killed the very man she was here to collect. She could see he did not deserve to die for what he was, for it wasn't his fault. But he wanted it, and started to beg for her to take his head with her powerful blade. She was shocked by such a display of desperation. Never in her line of work had she seen someone who _wanted_ for her to take them away. This shock, added with his insistent pleas, all contributed to her interest in him.

He was promised what he wished for: To be free of this terrible plane. He was thankful, weeping tears of joy as he sat up onto his knees and closed his eyes, awaiting his own demise. But she did not slice at him, did not take his head from his body. She just smiled at him, telling him in a voice he could only describe as heavenly that what she would do for him was different than what she ought to be doing. He just blinked in confusion, wondering if she meant she would kill him another way. That wasn't any problem to him, for he wanted death. And he figured the worse the better. The more pain he felt the more atonement he could harbor in his soul.

He asked her what she had in mind, the human part of him scared of what answer she may give. But instead of smiling maliciously like he expected, she smiled pleasantly again and placed a hand over his shoulder; a warm feeling rising into his chest at her touch. She said that she would take him away from this place, but not in death. She told him of a realm where she could keep him safe from himself and others, a realm where he could finally find the happiness that had been striped of him so long ago unfairly. He did not like this answer, and took her hand in his own to again beg for her to just kill him. He did not want to hide away in isolation, even for the protection of others, but wanted to be cleansed of his sins and be banished from the realm of the living. He wanted death because it would bring peace to his heavy heart, she surmised as she stared into his eyes, watching as tear after tear fell down his cheeks.

She was saddened by his appeal, and chose to ignore him as she turned and brought forth her blade. He stood alert, thinking that she had heard his cry and would bade by his wishes. He lowered his head and waited for the blade to severe his neck, biting the inside of his cheek as he waited for the pain to come. But again it did not, for instead of his death came the squeal of a young, portly man. He looked up to the Shinigami and watched as she dragged out another person from within the mess of gore that was once a human being. She pushed the soul to the ground once he was free, and glowered as she raised her glowing white sword to the dead man's throat. He was of middle age, with thinning black hair and a pig-like nose. He was dressed in a business suit, a little trinket hanging from his pocket as he bobbed around trying to learn his surroundings. The Man squealed like the little piglet he was when he caught sight of his own mangled flesh, and scurried away from it as she stood over him.

He watched as The Man stared in awe at the woman in black robes, and tried to stand to speak with her. But she did not allow this, for her face was hard and her tone was stern. She pushed him back down and told him of his sins. Greed, lust, gluttony, his life in a nutshell she quipped as she spun her blade back and, with a flick of her wrist and a prayer under her breath, sentenced him to hell. The Hollow watched as The Man was struck by the blade, his throat gushing open to reveal nothing but dust. The Man's body twisted and turned, writhing on the floor as his skin turned gray and his eyes opened wide as a reddish glow rose into the air from the sockets. His clothes burned away, leaving his gray body naked. He screamed, and in an instant was gone, down into the bowls of hell he went for his just punishment.

Once he had seen this display, the Hollow walked to the Shinigami and asked why she not show this same attitude towards him. Why must he survive and continue to kill? Why couldn't she do to him what she did to the one he had killed? And her answer surprised him.

"I cannot kill you, because you do not deserve it."

He was stunned, standing there staring wide eyed at the God of Death before him. How could she claim such a lie, he asked in a whisper as his fists clenched. Did she not know of what he has done? What he was? He told her, bellowed with all of his lung's strength that he was a monster. Man by the sun, _Thing_ by the moon. He told her of memories that passed through his conscious, memories of times he had no control. He told her of the deaths he had caused, of the fights the men and women and children he had come across had given him. Tears of agony on their cheeks, the beast he became devoured those that came across its path. With all of this, along with the reaping of The Man she had preformed not a few minutes ago, how could she not give just punishment to him? How could she claim he did not deserve it, when in reality he does?

She stood there, frowning at him the whole time he ranted, and began to float off the ground as if to leave. He noticed this trick, and began to sob yet again for death. It broke her heart to hear him in such a state, so she silenced him with a warm kiss to the forehead. He gave a start, and was paralyzed to the spot as she lingered with her lips to his skin. She pulled back, tucking her fingers under his chin and smiling with all of the grace of beauty at him. She told him to hush, to qualm his worries and give trust onto her. He, in that moment of such glory, could do nothing but nod his head as he reveled in her soft fingers under his chin. She smiled and reached down to take his hand, pulling him up with her as she disappeared into the abyss of light.

They had a rough start, having met in the woods like that. Even long after that day he begged for her to kill him, and time and time again she refused stubbornly, crossing her arms like a child and ignoring him as he reasoned with her why he should disappear. She brought him to her world, to her own home in the realm of Spirits and other Shinigami. She planned on keeping him safe in her own home, planned on easing him through the curse until he could handle it. But her dreams were short lived, as when she returned her brother Byakuya Kuchiki seized them both and accused her of treason. It was law to kill one such as the Hollow, and she had disobeyed that law to its fullest extent. There was a hefty prize to pay, and it was decreed that she would pay it. But they did not spot how long it took for the sentence to be carried out, and before long it was nightfall yet again.

Even in heaven He would transform. He had been held captive by the Shinigami in a special holding cell that they had believed could hold him, beaten and tortured by the more sinister ones. But before they could kill him, the moon rose high into the sky and he felt the painful metamorphosis take place. He transformed before their eyes, turning into a hideous beast with all white skin and a horned mask with long orange hair and claws. He howled into the sky and killed them all, tearing his way through heaven with no true intent other than to kill. But the Hollow had a scent, and it followed it all the way to Her. She was chained down, her blade gone from her hands and her neck collared by a red ring with wires attached to the walls. She looked to the white skinned creature as it approached her, staring with black and yellow eyes her lithe form. A low growl left its throat as rows of sharp teeth gleamed in the light of the moon from between the mask all Hollow must bear. She knew this was it, knew that this monster would take her life. Even Shinigami can die, and today was her day.

She knew her first thoughts should have been that she should have killed him when he asked, for if she had she wouldn't be right here staring down her death. But in her mind she did not feel remorse at letting him live. She was at peace with him killing her, for she wouldn't want anyone else to do it other than the orange haired man she had seen earlier that day.

Fate worked in mysterious ways, even to a God of Death that controlled the fate of others. As she closed her eyes and awaited the feel of its claws in her throat, she heard it moan and move closer. She felt its hand on her face, and snapped open her eyes to find it kneeling before her with a soft look in its eyes.

Fate had it that not only did He fall in love with her, but that also the Hollow within him had fallen in love with her.

And in turn, she loved them both as well.

They escaped together that day, both banished from the kingdom of souls. The Hollow killed everyone who dared come near Her, and she used her blade to reap the souls of those who tried to hurt Him. They raced to earth and took refuge in his own home- a cabin off in the middle of the very woods they had met in. There they spent their days together, keeping the other safe as other Shinigami and Hunters came for their heads.

They were of two different worlds, yet still fell in love. He felt guilt at being the cause of her banishment, and begged forgiveness a hundred times over. She forgave him every time, and would pull him close to whisper she was happier than ever now that she was with him. He'd smile and they would kiss so passionately. His nature was wild, while hers was adventurous. They created sparks with their love, their absolute passion. And neither could live without the other, despite their different worlds that clashed.

Every night when he'd go and transform he would ask for her not to follow. He did not want her to see the painful metamorphosis. Yet he knew she followed and watched every second, fascinated by the transformation. She hide in the trees above his head and stare down as his skin turned pale and his body grow larger. Watched as his eyes drooled yellow puss that dripped down his cheeks. She watched him transform, and descended once He was the beast. She would take the creature's hand and whisper sweet nothings into its ear, kissing its mask and wishing it luck on its hunt. She'd lean against a tree and watch it go off in search of food, smiling sadly at her beloved Hollow. It was so beautiful in her eyes, as was He. She would stare into his eyes and pray that he never left her. She was so ensnared in his love that she couldn't possibly leave him. She would soar through the air and watch as the Hollow ran amok; attacking deer, rabbits, birds, and other men. Once she would have reaped their souls with her blade, but now her sword was used on those who hunted her lover.

They would come out with guns and torches, using meat to lure out the beast that has been killing their people. But she would intervene on their hunt, and use her sword to kill them mercilessly. She held no sympathy for those who wished agony on her Hollow, and as such showed none when dispatching them. Her blade would drip the blood of the Hunters, and she would take pride in protecting Him. She then would whistle for it to come once she was done, and the man-beast would relish in the meal. She then would fly away, watching like the Guardian Angel she was the Hollow as it hunted.

But he did not take without giving. Shinigami came from up above to take Her away, and it would tear their throats out. It could smell the sun on their skin, similar to Her scent but distinctively different. It raced to her side when it smelled them, and would lunge and eat their hearts for trying to take away his Angel. During the day he carried a gun with him, knowing with precision and a good amount of bullets they'd parish. He protected her with bullets by day, claws and teeth by night. He did not care that he was killing God's servants, for he dedicated himself to Her, and would not let anyone, not even God himself, take her away. They protected one another, and loved one another with all of their being.

She was a Shinigami. He was a Hollow. Born and raised of two different worlds; two different entities of different abilities. And yet, despite the distance between one another, they embraced in their love and would never let go.

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><p><strong>My apologies if this seemed random and crappy! It's odd, and not really my normal style of writing, but in honesty I kind of liked it and think it's pretty damn good! Though, it's up to you guys to decide if it's up to snuff!<strong>

**REVIEW!**


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